Bolin groans, the sound of Mako furiously cleaning having woken him up... again. "We are not all Firebenders!" he yells across the room, "We do not all rise with the sun!" It's futile, his brother can't hear him, and probably wouldn't care if he did. Lately Mako has been obsessivly OCD. The house is spotless. Bolin knows why. No matter how many times Mako denies it, he knows he is only doing it for Korra. Mako wants to impress her, he has the misguided notion that he isn't good enough for her- which Bolin knows to be untrue. Korra couldn't care less if Mako was a piss poor Pro-Bender. She would love him if he were a cabbage merchent.
Of course, neither one of them will admit they are in love with each other. They don't even realize it yet. He can see it though. Pema and Katara, even Jinora and Ikki, can see it. He shakes his head, he just doesn't get it. He knows that when he falls in love, he will shout it from the rooftops. He isn't going dance around and waste time. He can't wait to fall in love. Reluctantly, he gets out of bed. The sun is barely up over Yue Bay and he curses. Maybe morning wouldn't come so soon if he wasn't dancing until 2 am most nights. He scrubs a hand over his face, deciding he needs a shave. Mako is washing the dishes from his breakfast when he heads into the kitchen. "Mornin'," he grumbles, taking a bowl from the cabinet.
"Hey," Mako greets him, "Can you just..."
"I'll wash it when I'm done," he says, waving him away. Mako smiles at him and nods. It's been years since either of them has finished a question, he thinks. His brother goes to the door and unlocks it. Picking up the paper he must have gotten earlier, he settles onto the couch. Bolin knows this means Korra will be here any minute. It's become their morning routine.
He has just washed his bowl when the little whirlwind comes in. "Hey, Bo," she says, flashing him a smile as she passes by. "Morning, Korra." Mako is silent, like always, and it seems like she is ignoring him, but Bolin knows better. It's in the subtle way Mako has sat up a little straighter and Korra's eyes have darted every where but to the stoic Firebender. She sits the paper bag on the counter. Pema has made them fruit tarts. His mouth waters just thinking about them. He knows there are three in the bag. He hides a grin. Thanking her when she hands him his, he watches her take another one to the couch where Mako is sitting with his paper.
He watches them from the kitchen with a smile. It's a curious thing they do, but he knows it's working for them so he tries not to interfere. Korra flops onto the couch and throws her legs over his brothers lap, a big goofy grin on her face. Without even looking at her, Mako splits the paper in half, giving her the parts he has already read. In turn she splits the fruit tart in two and hands him his part. They will do this with the other one on the way to practice, too. Korra grins like a lunatic as she reads her news, her foot idly tapping the arm of the couch. A subtle smile tilts the corner of Mako's mouth up. They stay like that until every juicy bit of gossip is consumed from their paper. Happens every day, he muses. It gives him just enough time to slip out and hit the shower.
Korra is deffinatly something special, he thinks to himself, he's secure in the knowledge that he's been right all along. He used to think, when they first met her, that it was because she was the Avatar. But now he knows it's because she is the only girl to ever make his brother smile.